london-based artist and designer jesper eriksson has created furniture as well as a series of other material applications using coal. in his installation coal: post-fuel the designer explores a speculative future of the sedimentary rock whilst considering whether this cheap and dirty fossil fuel has a more complex emotional significance.
eriksson is interested in work related to the human, culture and material, particularly those that have a strong influence on culture. by choosing coal he aims to create a contemporary and alternative narrative to existing historical, socio-economical or cultural contexts.
There is no doubt that Jesper’s designs are beautiful – many think they are made out of marble rather than coal – and it’s this that makes his work so interesting. He is transforming a material which is widely seen as problematic and destructive into something which this generation can appreciate and use in a positive way. But changing this relationship is no easy task; “Coal is a very complex material because it carries so much weight in terms of cultural and historical references. It’s both scandalous and essential. It’s definitely an emotionally loaded material,” he explains.
Jesper has always been interested in pushing materials to do something they shouldn’t be doing. For instance, his ‘Paper Pulp’ project looked into the possibilities of using a waste-product to create valuable pieces.
The artist's project in 2016, called "Paper Pulp" has also become an important part of my development work. I got a lot of inspiration about forms of my works from his work. The following project aims to challenge the values & perception of a paper cup. The paper cup is valued for its purpose (hot beverage to go, easily disposed of) while holding no inherent value as an object. The proposed paper cups attempts to create intricate and beautiful textures while proving themselves useless as a recipient. The project’s purpose is similar to the starting point of my exploration material: 1, Whether the material with two sides function has special and complex material language of its own. 2, Can we give new artistic value to ordinary materials. 3, The beauty of a single material itself.